


She Gets It

by JotunPrincess



Series: Dance the night away (Aaron Hotchner) [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Backrubs, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Fluff, Fluff, Hotch needs a hug, Humor, Jack Needs a Hug, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, Spying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-17 21:05:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5885170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JotunPrincess/pseuds/JotunPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one shots inside Hotch and Zee's relationship in no particular order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moments like this

Things had been going well for them. But Hotch constantly worried that Zee wasn't happy with the way his job would call him away. Missed date nights, cancelled plans, he felt like it was like letting down Haley all over again. But then there were the little things that Zee did that made him think other wise. 

It was late when the team got home. Well after midnight, Jess still had Jack. Letting himself into the house he didn't bother to be to quiet about it, not thinking that his girlfriend had been asleep in his bed. Up stairs Zee slipped on her glasses and grabbed the aluminum bat she'd brought with her before heading down to see what it was. bat ready she peaked around the corner. 

"Aaron." She said finding him in the kitchen. 

Aaron Hotchner turned quickly his hand still going to gun as a force of habit. 

"Zee what are you doing here?" He asked taking his hand off his gun and going over to the redhead to get the bat from her. 

"I called you and the signal didn't go through. I tried to tell you the boiler at my place went out, it's January so it's freezing at my place." she explained.

"It's alright, that's part of the reason I gave you a spare key and code." He told her, as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss on her read locks. Being in her arms he let the tension run out. Zee rubbed Hotch's back there in the kitchen for a few minutes.

"Come on, lets get you up to bed." She said. Grabbing her bat, Zee turned off the lights and brought Hotch on upstairs. 

Sitting him on the bed she started to undress him. Even going as far as to get a warm cloth to run over his face. What are you doing?" he asked. "Getting you ready for bed." She replied. "Now shut up and get in." Hotch didn't argue, he just followed orders and settled down until Zee joined him to which he wrapped her in his arms. 

Zee adjusted them so Hotch's head was pillowed on her chest, her fingers running through his hair as she hummed. 

The job made it hard for them. Missed dates, cancelled Saturdays, leaving her to wake up alone, leaving her to go to bed alone, unfinished dates. All of them drove them nuts, but moments like this made up for them. It was the moments like this that Aaron knew were the most important to Zee.


	2. New Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is feeling conflicted. 
> 
> (Beth never happened.)

Jack and Aaron were out having a day together. A much needed four day weekend which Aaron had planned to spend with two of his favorite people. "Alright, lets get some cereal for the house and Aunt Jess' place." he said. 

"Okay." Jack picked out the cereal's he liked. 

Hotch had noticed that Jack had been quiet the last few days. 

On the ride home Hotch stopped at the park. "Come on, lets go take a walk for a bit." 

"What about the groceries, Dad?" he asked. 

"They'll be alright for a little bit. Come on." Once they fell into a good step Hotch spoke. "What's wrong Jack?"

"Nothing." 

That was the bit that he wished Jack hadn't gotten from him. "IS it school? Is someone bothering you at school?"

"No." He shook his head. 

Getting down to Jack's eye level he mad his son look at him. "Jack, I've told you, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's bother you." he said. 

"Is Zee going to be my new mom?" he asked. 

The question had caught Aaron off guard. He found that he did love Zee and that the feelings were returned full force. Things about their relationship had changed. She spent more nights at his place. She helped with Jack and even changed her schedule with her club and dancing studio to help. 

Moving them over to a bench he faced Jack. "Well first why don't you tell me what you like about having Zee around?"

"She's fun, and likes to play with me. We have movie nights and she helps me with my homework and even makes it fun. She makes really good pancakes too, and I like the syrup she uses."

"So do I." Aaron admitted. Zee Absolutely refused to use any syrup other than maple. "Those all sound like good things."

"They are, and I like her, and she makes you happy and she's fun. But what about Mommy?" He asked. 

Oh, that explained a lot. 

"I still love mommy, and I don't want to forget her if we let Zee be my new Mommy." HE explained. 

"Hey." Hotch moved Jack into his lap and hugged him. "It's okay, Bud, you won't forget your mom. You don't have to stop loving your mom just because Zee is around. You don't have to stop keeping the pictures you have of her."

"But wouldn't that make Zee sad?"

"Zee would understand. Before you were born, your mom and I made an agreement, that if anything ever happened to either of us. That the other should find someone else to spend their life with."

"Do you want to spend your life with Zee?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet Jack. Now come on, Zee said she's making apple pie." 

The two headed back home, Where Aaron was happy to find Zee already making the pie and dancing around the clean house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By this point in the story Aaron and Zee have been together for a good year and a half.


	3. How Are You Okay With This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotch is trying to understand how Zee is so cool with his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said these come in no real order. This is about a year into their relationship.

The first woman he tried to date after Haley had survived to the second date. She wasn't beat for it. She told him she wasn't going to date someone who would leave every time she turned around. HE tried to make up for it with coffee one morning and she instead tossed it in the nearest can. 

The second woman Hotch tried to explain the situation to her and she turned him down. 

When he finally met Zee he explained it to her and she only nodded. HE had to bail out on their first dinner half way through, and she only told him to go. a few days later he asked her to breakfast and was glad to find that she accepted. On her birthday he had promised a well earned day together. He made up for it with wild flowers that he knew she loved. 

Coming home late, Zee wasn't made that he'd woken her up. Instead only helped him get settled for bed and curled up against him. 

"Zee?"

"Yeah?" 

"How is it you're okay with all of this? The comings and goings?"

Zee sat up and started to twist and turn so she was hanging over the edge of the bed. She came back up, turning on the bedside light and putting on her glasses to see. Running her hands over the decorated box she smiled fondly before popping it open. From it she pulled out a picture to hand over to Aaron.

Sitting up Aaron took the picture. It was Zee a few years younger smiling like a mad woman, and a man equally happy with a smile on his face and his arm around her. "That was our first house." She said. "We moved in on our first wedding anniversary. His name was Stephan and he was a cop." She shared. 

The next picture she pulled out was of the pair of them together and her husband in his uniform. There were more of them, a shot of them at the beach, one of him asleep on the couch, another of them after a snowball fight. 

There was a wedding photo as well. "June 17. We were married for twelve years." Zee started to put the pictures away.

Hotch reached out to rub her back pulling the woman in to comfort her. "He was shot just under his vest, that little gap, during a response to a domestic violence call. He could have lived, but his partner ran and hid like a damn coward as soon as the first shot rang out." 

Wrapping both arms around Zee, Aaron pulled her into his lap to comfort the red head while she cried. It all made sense. Once she calmed down Zee looked up at him. 

"We argued, we missed out on dinners, and birthdays and family gatherings. But it was the moments where he came home at four in the morning and I made him breakfast, or he could make up for a missed picnic with a midnight one that made those things worth it. He told me those were the things that made him happy knowing I was in his corner every time. He saw marriages fall apart, but he had hope that ours would stay together because of what we did. So I get it. The job needs you. People need you, and if you saving lives means we have to cancel a dinner date then you better get going."

Cupping her face in his strong hands Hotch smiled before kissing her. "I love you." he confessed.


	4. Meeting Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotch trusts Zee enough to finally meet Jack.

Since Zee had met the team and they all seemed to like her, the girls even going as far as to invite her out for a ladies night, Hotch was ready to let her meet Jack. "Where are we going today Daddy?" Jack asked. 

"We are going to meet a friend of mine Buddy."

"Uncle Derek?" He asked. "Is he going to bring Clooney?"

"No, it's not Derek. We're going to meet a lady friend of mine." He explained. 

"Is she your girlfriend? I heard you and Aunt Jess talking about it." He confessed. 

"Yeah we're going to meet her."

"Does she make you happy?" He asked. 

"She does. We have fun, and I want you to meet her today. They pulled into a diner parking lot. Inside Zee was already at a table waiting for them. When She saw Aaron come in she stood with a bright smile on her face. 

Hugging Aaron she then smiled at Jack. 

"Your dad told me you were tall, but not this tall." she said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Jack, My name is Zee."

"Is it short for Zoe? I have a girl in my class who likes to be called Z." he asked as they sat down. 

"No, it's just Zee." She smiled. "Z-E-E." 

"That's cool, it makes you sound like a rock star." He smiled.

"Like a rockstar?" Aaron asked with a knowing smile. "Zee, actually knows how to sing." 

"Cool." Jack exclaimed. "Do you know the song Eye of the Tiger?"

"Do I know it? Jack, I could sing that song in my sleep." she chuckled. 

That was where it started. From there it was easy, the first night she stayed over their place while Jack was home she made pancakes for them with maple syrup. It was the first time Jack was having it and the little boy was in love.

Zee showed Jack how to dance. Aaron watched from the couch that had been pushed out of the way. 

"Come on, Dad." 

Aaron gave in and went to dance with them. "Now this is something you don't know anything about Buddy." Aaron grabbed Zee and sun her around before dipping the woman and bringing her back to her feet causing her to laugh. 

"One day you'll be able to do that." Zee told him one they'd stopped laughing.

"Hey Zee do you know how to make a pie?" 

"A pie?"

"Yeah, he's been stuck on this idea about us making a pie since his last play date." Aaron shared, "But Jack wants to make this one fresh." 

"Yeah, like your fresh pancakes." Jack pointed out.

"Well Jack, that is a tall order and I'm going to need some help in there." Zee said. 

"I'll help!" Jack bounced. 

"Then it looks like we're going to go get stuff to make a pie." She smiled at him.


	5. Bad Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotch has a nightmare that has him looking for comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is violent.

_Shivering from head to toe he shook the cold water from his head, blinking hard to let his eyes adjust to the light, or lack there of. A few yards away from him was a woman strapped to a chair. She was just as wet and shivering as he was. Her red hair..._  
  
Red hair  
  
"Zee!" Aaron called out only there was no volume. He called out again wanting his voice to gain some volume for Zee to hear him. "ZEE!" he screamed.  
  
He heard an eerie chuckle when a man appeared walking right pass him and over to Zee.   
  
"Look at her, so beautiful. Red head's were always my favorites." He said, and he grabbed Zee by her damp Red locks and jerked her back back so she could look at Aaron.   
  
"Aaron." She whimpered weakly.  
  
It was like Haley all over again.  
  
A blade suddenly went across her pale throat, red quickly spreading. 

 

Hotch woke up with a cold sweat on his chest and face and a shout. "Zee." He mumbled to himself.   
  
Getting out of the bed he quickly pulled on some sweats and heading out. Hotch rarely acted on impulse. For him to do this was big, it was admitting that he was human and a man and that he cared and couldn't hide all his emotions or beat the devils at his door.   
  
Knocking on Zee's door Frantically he couldn't believe he'd forgotten her keys at his place.  
  
The door was opened by a rather disheveled and sleepy looking Zee.   
  
"Aaron? What ar-" She was cut off by strong lips pressing against her own his arms wrapping around her to oull her in close.   
  
Pulling back from him, Zee steadied them. She knew that look, this embrace. Pulling back from him Zee closed and locked the door again.   
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't hav-"   
  
"Shh." She hushed him before leading him up stairs and sitting him at the foot of her bed. Getting his jacket off of him, Zee started to massage his shoulders. "Take a deep breath, and then tell me what happened."   
  
"I shouldn't." he said.   
  
"Shut up and listen. For once you're going to do as you're told and tell me what happened. Now start at the beginning."  
  
Hotch told her detail for detail about what happened. "It's over now. We're both here, right here." She told him.   
  
The tension bleed out of Hotch's shoulders then. Turning around he wrapped his arms around her. They fell into an awkward position on the bed but made it work as Zee continued to rub his shoulder and back.  
  
"I'm still sorry, I woke you up like that. I could have called." he said.  
  
"I wouldn't have answered so you would have been here anyway. I turned off my phone for the night."  
  
"Bad day?"  
  
"Very bad."  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
"Nope, I want sleep. Now sleep."  
  
Hotch placed a kiss on her exposed collar bone. "Good night."


	6. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changes that the friends and family of Hotch and Zee started to notice.

Zee and her late husband's younger sister had become the best of friends and stayed that way after his death. Kelly noticed how Zee seemed to shut down in a way. The dancer stopped dancing and shut down her dance studio, she stopped singing. When she did started singing it was the blues and lost love songs. Zee even stopped singing in the shower. Kelly noticed it when they were suppose to be hanging out but of course Zee had over slept and wasn't ready. She started wearing bright colors more often and smiling more. She shocked everyone but getting onto the stage and belting out a love song for the first time in years. It was a welcome change.

~.o0o.~

Hotch never brought Lunch into work. So when he showed up with a lunch bag in hand and instead of joining his team at the place down the street took to the office to enjoy it they knew something was off. The lunches started to come in more, Hotch smiled more. Smiling was a good thing and a welcomed expression on the older profiler's face. There was definitely something new happening.

~.o0o.~

Zee started to dance with her classes again, the moves coming back to her easily. It was easy to see that something good was happening. But it wasn't just dancing with her class that happened, but dancing when she thought no one could see. The back ground music to which she worked changed as well.

~.o0o.~

Usually Hotch was always the first to show up and the last to leave. So when they saw him heading out on a Friday night with his phone to his ear and a smile on his lips they knew he was going out on a date. 

~.o0o.~

Zee came to work with three hickeys on her neck. She tried to hide them with a scarf but in the middle of June it's hard to do and not get hot. 

~.o0o.~

Hotch started ditching them at lunch. While the team went out to go to one of the usual haunts, Hotch took to his office with his home made lunch. One day he decided to get started on it early, and had the smell wafting around the bullpen. Even Emily, who had claimed she wasn't touching pasta had begged for a bite.

~.o0o.~

One night they got a case and Hotch came in with a bow tie undone and some bright red lip stick still stuck on his cheek. Dave was the one to point it out by simply handing over his handkerchief. 

~.o0o.~

These changes were pointed out. Each new bit of evidence laid before them that things were changing. In all honesty they were changing for the better.


	7. More Permanent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotch makes a confession.

It was a blissfully slow day at the BAU, the team working on paperwork that never seemed to end. Hotch looked up from his and stood with a stretch before wandering over to his friend, David Rossi' office.

"Come in." Dave said before sitting back, in his seat. 

"What's up Aaron?" he asked.

"Not much, can we talk?" he asked. 

Dave nodded. "Usually, for me that is, 'Can we talk' ends up with divorce." 

"Well good, because I'm not married to you." Hotch joked, as he took a seat across from Dave. "I need your help." he said. 

"With?"

"Picking out an engagement ring for Zee."

Dave smiled, his eyebrows reaching for his hairline. "Really?" he said. "When did you realize you wanted to marry her?"

"Few months now, I've been playing with the idea. Jack asked me if she was going to be his new mom because he thought if by Zee becoming his mother he'd have to forget about Haley. I told him that wasn't the case." He explained.

"Good. Any other points?" Dave asked the corner of his mouth turning up.

"Zee's change her schedules and even hired someone to close the club down so she can get home for Jack earlier. She's been watching him on cases more and JAck loves it. He still likes going to Jess' place but Zee and him hang out. He tells me about the meals I missed by not being home." 

"But what about you?" Dave asked.

"What about me what?"

"You've told me how his works out for Jack and how much jack loves having Zee around. What about you Aaron? What conclusion have you come to about this woman that makes you want to marry her?"

"She gets it, Dave. Her late husband was a cop, so she knows and understands the comings and goings and we make up for it in different ways. The only arguments we've had is about where to go for dinner, or what movie to watch." Hotch explained. "Few weeks ago when he got home from that case that related to Easter."

"I remember, we got home fairly early."

"Yeah, and I go home, Jack was away at a sleep over and Zee was in the kitchen fixing up a snack and getting ready to settle in for a movie. Seeing her there I realized I wanted her to be there every day. That whether I was home or not I wanted to know she was there, safe and waiting for me to come home. I've had better night's sleep with her there. I have to cancel on dinners and depending on when we get back, breakfast is when I come home and that on her insistence not my own. I missed her birthday and she wasn't angry with me, not even a bit, But I remembered to bring home flowers for her."

"Does she have a sister?" Dave asked with a chuckled. "Sounds like you've got a hell of a woman. So once you have the ring When do you plan to propose?" 

"I know it's suppose to be your night. But I was hoping you'd let me do it when we were all over your place for the release of your new book. We don't get many chance for a night off and that one has been guaranteed to us. I just want to do it without the risk of getting called in."

"I understand, and you have my blessing to do it."

"Thanks, Dave." He smiled.


End file.
